Download 1 SENTENCE PATTERNS A sentence is the smallest grammatical

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SENTENCE PATTERNS
A sentence is the smallest grammatical unit consisting of words that express a complete
statement or question. A sentence always contains at least a subject and a verb.
Definitions:
A verb is the action that is described in the sentence (also called the predicate).
A subject is a noun that performs the action (verb) in a sentence.
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For a complete sentence, the subject and the verb have to
agree. They should be in the same form even if there are
other words in between them. Sometimes there might be
more than one of these specific grammatical units in one
sentence. Refer to Table 1 below for a quick guide of
subject verb agreement (See Subject Verb Agreement
handout for more details).
Table 1
Subject
I
You
He/She/It
We/You/They
(plural)
Verb Tense
Present/past cont.
am/was training
are/were training
is/was training
are/were training
Present/past simple
train/trained
train/trained
trains/trained
train/trained
Present/past perfect
have/had trained
have/had trained
has/had trained
have/trained
Simple Sentence patterns
In addition to the subject and the verb, sentences may contain other
parts of speech. A variety in sentence patterns ensures creative and
interesting writing.
Note: It is easier to determine the specific part of speech that we
are working with if we ask the appropriate question. The answer to the question
should be the unknown part of speech itself.
The six major simple sentence patterns are as follows.
1. To Be Pattern (type 1) has an adverbial phrase or word usually following the to be
verb (ex. Is, are, was, were, will be, has been, had been). An adverbial phrase or word
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(ADV) is a word or phrase that modifies the verb expressing a relation to place, time,
manner, cause, etc. It answers the questions starting with where, when, how, why, etc.
 The toys are in the box at the corner.
S
V
ADV
In the example above, we can ask the question, “Where are the toys?” Our answer
will be, “in the box.” Since where generally describes a place, ‘in the box’ acts as
an adverbial phrase.
2. To Be Pattern (type 2) has a subject complement following the to be verb and starts
with the subject. A subject complement describes the subject of the sentence and
usually answers questions starting with what.
 Swimming is my favorite activity.
S
V
SC
In the example above, we can ask the question, “What is swimming?” The answer
is: “It is my favorite activity.” Since ‘swimming’ is the subject of the sentence,
and ‘my favorite activity’ describes the subject, we call this phrase the subject
complement.
3. The Linking Verb Pattern has a subject complement following the linking verb.
Linking verbs always tie the subject to its adjective or phrase complement (called
subject complement). The most common linking verbs are the following: appear, feel,
grow, look, prove, remain smell, sound, taste and turn. To determine if a verb is
linking, substitute the verb with an equal sign [=] and check if the sentence changed
its meaning.
 John looks exhausted.
S
LV
SC
In the following example the linking verb is looks (‘John = exhausted’ has the same
meaning as the original sentence).
4. Intransitive Verb Pattern consists of a subject and an intransitive verb. An
intransitive verb is an action verb that requires no complement (laugh, cry, run, play,
etc).
 Marry was dancing.
S
IV
The question we ask is “what was Marry doing?” The answer is that “she was
dancing.” Then we check and see that there is no complement following our verb and
verify that it is an intransitive verb.
5. The Basic Transitive Verb Pattern consists of a subject, transitive verb and direct
object. A transitive verb connects the subject and the object. Unlike an intransitive
verb, a transitive verb would not make sense without the direct object. A direct object
describes the verb and answers the question what or who.
 Anna planned the party.
S
TV
DO
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In the above sentence, we ask ‘What did Anna plan?’ and the answer is ‘She planned
the party’. Notice that the party gives more information about the verb ‘plan’. It does
not describe Anna.
6. The Transitive Verb + Two Complements Pattern consists of a subject, followed by
a transitive verb, indirect object, and direct object. An indirect object is a noun or
phrase that assumes an intermediary role in the action being described in the sentence.
It names the recipient of the direct object. An indirect object answers to questions
containing the direct object and starting with who or what.
 Tom gave Anna the present.
S
V
IO
DO
Here the question describing the indirect object is: “Who got the present?” Notice that
the indirect object is positioned between the verb and the direct object.
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Keep in mind!
These sentence patterns may also be used as substituents of complex and compound
sentences.
 Anna and her friends were very tired when they finished planning John’s party.
S
S
V
______S
V
IO
DO
For more information about this topic, refer to “Types of Sentences” handout.
Bellow is a table briefly summarizing different parts of speech.
Part of speech Abbreviation
Definition
Subject
S
Performs the action (verb) in a sentence.
Direct Object
DO
Describes the verb.
Indirect Object
IO
Verb
V
Linking verb
LV
Refers to the person or a thing receiving the direct
object.
The action that is described in the sentence (also called
the predicate).
Ties the subject to its adjective or phrase complement.
Intransitive
verb
Transitive verb
IV
An action verb that requires no complement
TV
Connects the subject and the object
Adverbial
ADV
Modifies a verb, expressing a relation of place, time,
phrase
manner, cause etc.
Refer to Parts of Speech handout for more details.
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Exercise 1:
Unscramble the words to make a complete sentence.
1. running the boy is.
2. New York how long take does to get it here from to?
3. stole someone yesterday my car.
4. late was it got when Mary home.
5. kick down but takes carpenter to build anyone a barn can a good it one.
6. to cook was learning Aunt Bette.
7. asleep closed Sally eyes fall but her couldn’t.
8. have sandwich I can a jelly?
9. father later camping arrived Sally’s two weeks.
10. I when my old easily arrived way home life returned to of I.
For answers to these exercises, please consult with a Writing Center tutor.
This handout is based on the following texts:
Aaron, Jane E. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. New York: HarperCollins College, 1993. 78-85.
Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Donald A. Azar. Understanding and Using English Grammar: Workbook.
Second ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents, 1992.
Gorrell, Donna. A Writer's Handbook from A to Z. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1994. 201-205.
For further reference, see the following handouts at LAVC Writing Center:
Subject Verb Agreement, Parts of Speech, Verb Tenses, Types of Sentences, and other Writing Center
handouts.
Revised. 2/18/15